Nature Sage
by Nature Sage
Summary: Waaa. I'm trying to do this chapter thing and already I got it wrong. Anyway, Malon takes her place as the Nature Sage. When Ganondorf uses the Evil Realm to attack Hyrule, they have to defeat him a little differently this time.. Now read and review!! :)
1. Chapter 1

Nature Sage

A beam of light shot down from the clouds. It must have been three in the morning. Malon opened her sleepy eyes and looked out the window. She saw a tall man, with a white mustache and nearly bald head.

"Sages of Hyrule," he called in an echoing voice. "The Hero of Time has summoned us! Come forth!"

Malon watched as the green, red, blue, orange, and purple beams of light came from the sky. They formed into people, but Malon could only recognize the Princess of the Zora, Ruto.

Suddenly, the other man turned and looked Malon right in the eyes. She gasped, and pulled the blankets even tighter around herself.

"Sage of Nature, we are waiting for you."

"Malon?" Talon called. "You have a visitor!"

Malon sat up suddenly, frightened from the dream. She shakily climbed out of bed and put on her regular clothes, then went outside. There, she found Link waiting for her.

"Hey," Link said, smiling. "What's the matter? Did you have a bad dream?"

__

How does he do that? Malon wondered.

"Yeah," she said. "It was really strange. Let's go for a ride, and I'll tell you all about it."

After she prepared her horse, Grace, she and Link rode off toward Lake Hylia. They had decided to have a picnic there.

"I was in my room, and it was the middle of the night. There was this guy with a huge white mustache, and he summoned a bunch of Sages or something." A flash of recognition passed over Link's face, but he continued listening. "Then, after like five of them came, he turned around and looked at me and said that they were waiting for the Sage of Nature. I got scared, then I woke up."

"Who was in it?" Link asked after a few seconds.

"The only person I recognized was Princess Ruto."

Link made a face.

"Maybe I should go ask her?" Malon wondered aloud.

"No," Link said quickly. "I mean, maybe. Probably not. Or, you could go by yourself!"

"I would, but your magical song is the only thing that can get past the waterfall," Malon said, grinning. Link sighed, looking defeated. "I, the mighty Malon, am the only being alive capable of destroying the great Hero of Time, Link the Kokiri!"

Link laughed. "No, you're right. I'll take you there," he said reluctantly. "But I'm not going in there to talk to _her_!"

"Oh, yes you are."

"No way," Link said firmly. "You cannot make me!"

"Um...hi Ruto," Link said, laughing nervously. "Malon wants to talk to you."

"Hi. I'm Malon, and I had a dream and you were in it," Malon said. "I wanted to ask you if you knew anything about the Sages of Hyrule or something like that."

"Yes, I do," Ruto said politely. "In fact, I'm one of them! I am the Sage of Water, and _you_ must be the eighth Sage! I am so glad to meet you! Wait until Rauru hears that I found her!"

"Um, what are you talking about?" Malon asked.

"You mean that six of the eight sages are girls?" Link asked. "I think the sage people are sexist."

"There's nothing wrong with you boys," Ruto teased, "but we women are oh, so much smarter."

"Hey!"

"What are you talking about?" Malon demanded.

"Just come on," Ruto said, beaming Link, Malon, and herself to the Temple of Light inside of the Sacred Realm.

"This is the Sage of Nature?" Rauru asked.

"I found her," Ruto said proudly.

"I found myself!" Malon argued.

"I think I should be a Sage," Link said. "How about 'the Sage of..' uh.."

"I should transfer her power into her," Rauru decided.

"Is that gonna hurt?"

"I did too find her!"

"The Sage of Time! Brilliant! So, how about it?"

"Shut up, Link," Ruto said.

"Yeah, Link, shut up," Rauru said.

Link slumped down. "I was only trying to help."

"Right. Anyway, Malon, this won't hurt a bit," Rauru said, shooting her with a tranquilizer dart.

"OW!" Then, everything went black.

So that's the first part of my first fic. How do you like it? PLEASE review! If it's awful, tell me so that I don't waste my time with the next part. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

Nature Sage - Ch 2

Before you read this, I just want to say that it would be a good idea to read the first part (Nature Sage - Ch 1) before you read this one. And thank you to everyone who reviewed my first story, you really helped me improve this one, I hope. Please review!

"Uh," Malon moaned, holding her head. "What happened?"

"You have your Sage Powers now!" Ruto said triumphantly. Then, she said to Link, "And I found her!"

"And I'm still just the lousy Hero of Time," Link moped. "I think I deserve special lights coming from my sword, or _something_!"

"No, you really don't," Ruto said sweetly.

"Or maybe a Medallion, to symbolize my courage and skill!" he continued.

"Nope."

"An action figure?" he asked meekly.

"Sorry, Link," Ruto said. "Now, Malon, your Medallion is called the Nature Medallion, and it's silver. You are the leader of the Nature Sages of Hyrule."

"Wait a minute," Link interrupted. "I thought Zelda was the leader of the Sages."

"Of _all_ the Sages, not just the ones in Hyrule. We're not the only Sages in the world, you know."

"Where are we?" Malon asked, suddenly realizing that they were no longer in the Temple of Light.

"Nature Temple," Link said. "This is your Temple."

"This is mine?" Malon asked, awestruck.

"It's like the Forest Temple and Ganon's Castle, put together in a twisted kind of way," Link said thoughtfully.

"And more..silvery?" Ruto suggested. "Silverer?"

"What are Sage Powers?" Malon asked. "What is a Sage? What do you people want from me?"

"Your Sage Powers include casting spells, teleporting places, and transforming into a small, silver ball of light energy," Ruto began. "Lots more stuff, too, but let's stick with the basics for now."

"A Sage is..wow, I really don't know," Link admitted, then resumed throwing Deku Seeds into a small pond. Malon noticed that the water had a silver, metallic look to it, rather than looking normal.

In fact, the whole place had a silver tint to it.

They were in a courtyard-type area, with gleaming silver castle walls all around. Malon didn't realize that this place even was in Hyrule. Even the grass looked slightly silver. The only thing that seemed normal was the blue sky above them.

There were six doors surrounding them, one for each beam of light Malon had seen in her dream. Each had a colored Medallion above the doorway, and silver horse statues between them. In the center of the courtyard was a huge, silver Medallion.

"Is that mine?" Malon asked, pointing to it.

"Yeah," Ruto said, gazing at it fondly. "This courtyard symbolizes the Nature Sages of Hyrule. There are a few more Districts of Sages, like the Seasonal Sages and the Destiny Sages, but you don't have to worry about them right now."

Malon nodded.

"Anyway, we need you to lead the Nature Sages in an effort to defeat Ganondorf once more," Ruto said. Link jumped up.

"But I thought I trapped him in the Evil Realm!" he cried.

"You did," Ruto explained. "But he's using the evil power there to control the entire Sacred Realm, which we cannot allow to happen."

"What's the Sacred Realm? What are you people talking about?" Malon asked, still utterly confused.

"This is going to take a while," Ruto sighed.

The waters of Zora's River glistened in the morning sun. The three of them had gone to the entrance to Zora's Domain. Malon could see her reflection in the mirror-like surface of the waterfall. She adjusted her hair a little bit, then closed her eyes and raised her hands. A ball of silver light appeared above her, twinkling like a fairy. Remembering what Ruto had told her, she concentrated on what she wanted to happen.

The waterfall slowly parted like a curtain. Silver jolts of energy ran down Malon's hands, and she struggled not to break her focus. The opening grew, ever so slowly, until the spell was complete. Malon collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily.

"I guess we should have started with something a little bit easier," Ruto said. Link nodded in agreement.

"No," Malon gasped. "This was.. good.. to practice.."

"No, this would have been good to play my Ocarina to and have it open about twelve times faster," Link said. "That really looked hard. I'm surprised you actually.." He fell silent. Ruto glared at him.

"It's okay," Malon said, standing up shakily. "I didn't expect to have the strength to, either."

"That's not what I meant," Link said quietly.

Malon smiled. Link always felt bad after insulting someone, even accidentally. She gazed at his troubled eyes for a moment, then snapped back to attention, her face turning slightly red.

"Let's go get Zelda," Ruto suggested, changing the subject. "We can tell her that we're ready to go into battle now, right?"

"No!" Malon cried. "This is the only training I've had!"

"If you can do _this_ on your first try," Ruto said, "then you could become very powerful in a short amount of time. Now let's go." She started to teleport, but Malon grabbed her arm.

"Can't we just walk?" she asked politely. "I think it would be more fun than just.."

"Of course," Link replied. "You don't mind, do you, Ruto?"

Ruto looked like she was about to panic. The Princess had never really walked anywhere before. Suddenly, she grinned.

"Okay then, Link, I'll give you the honor of carrying me!"

"AAAAAHHHH! Not again!"

Malon laughed as Link lifted Ruto off of the ground. Together, they set off toward the newly built Hyrule Castle.

Ch 2, finished! I think. If you find an awful error, E-mail me about it, please, and I'll fix it. Look for Ch 3 in the near future. And let me once again remind you to review! Thank you!


	3. Chapter 3

Nature Sage - Ch 3

You know, I tried my very best to keep this series short, but...get ready for a _really_ long part. Just too much going on to keep it small.

Hyrule Castle was bigger and more elaborate than ever. The castle walls were a beautiful, pearly white, and the tops of the towers were royal blue. About halfway up each of the four towers, there was a stained glass window, showing a scene as if it had been painted while the three goddesses of Hyrule were creating the world. Malon couldn't wait to see how nice it was on the inside.

Princess Zelda sat in her throne, looking worried, as usual. She couldn't get over the fact the kingdom was now hers. She sighed and looked up, just in time to see Link, Ruto, and Malon come in. She attempted a warm smile.

"What can I do for you?" the Princess asked politely.

"Malon is the Sage of Nature," Ruto explained happily. "I discovered her."

"Yeah, and I should be a Sage," Link added.

"Oh, no," Malon moaned. "Are we back on that again?" Zelda laughed.

"And I suppose you think she's ready to enter the Sacred Realm?" she asked.

"I do," Ruto said resentfully. "She parted the waterfall in Zora's River! On her first attempt!"

Zelda looked faintly impressed. "We'll see what she can do. Link, prepare the Test of Courage."

"Yes, Your Highness," Link said, turning around to get the test ready. Then he stopped, looked back, and said, "What is that, and where do I find it?"

Zelda sighed. "I'll do it," she said, casting her power. "Now, 'Malon,' go into the Chamber of Farore. There, you will be tested on your courage and speed."

Malon nodded. She focused her energy and teleported herself into the Chamber of Farore. At first, it just looked like an empty room, but soon, the area began to flourish. It was as if she was outside again. Grass suddenly sprouted from the ground, and the ceiling seemed to extend up forever. There were even clouds up there, she realized. Trees appeared along the walls, and it felt like the middle of the forest.

Suddenly, Malon was struck in her side bey a powerful bolt of magic. She twisted around just in time to avoid another blast. She looked up to see who her attacker was, and was shocked to see Zelda.

"Why are you doing this?" Malon asked, jumping aside to avoid another hit.

Zelda didn't answer. She just continued striking at Malon.

"Oh, I get it," she said to herself. "This isn't the REAL Zelda, just like this isn't a real forest or real grass..this is a test.."

She whirled around to face the aggressor. She focused all of her power and energy, and sent an enormous bolt of energy toward the imaginary foe.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Zelda's look-alike screamed, collapsing to the ground. She then proceeded to vanish into thin air, and the grass and trees and sky all melted back into Zelda's throne room.

"Well done," the real Zelda said, in a slightly sour tone. "The next test is held in the Chamber of Nayru, across the hallway. No need to warp there; it seems you're already pretty worn out."

Malon was lying on her back at the Princess's feet, trying to recover her lost energy. She tried to say something, but didn't succeed. Link peered down at her, looking concerned.

"Well?" Zelda said impatiently. "What are you waiting for? Go!"

Malon realized that Zelda had become very heartless since Link had destroyed Ganondorf. She knew the the kind, soft Zelda was still burried on the inside.. perhaps it was the Evil Realm bearing its effects on the Princess. She shrugged it off, and stood up warily. Giving Zelda a smirk, she warped herself to the Chamber of Nayru.

Again, what started out as a bare, boring room was transformed into a mystical sky kingdom. The only thing that made Malon feel safe in the whole room was the tiny chunck of land she had to stand on. Even though she knew it was only her imagination, it still looked and felt very real.

She looked around cautiously, ready for anything. This time, Ganondorf came from nowhere to strike her.

Hard.

Malon fell to the edge of the island she was on. Instantly, and ocean of fear gripped her. No way did she want to end up losing to that snotty Princess, or the King of Evil, for that matter. The fear quickly turned to anger, and she was after that monster.

Small, but strong bolts of energy errupted from Malon's fingers. Ganondorf staggered back, and reached the end of the platform. He glanced down.

"That is a loooooooong way down," he said to himself. Malon felt awful about what she was about to do, but she didn't let it stop her from acting as quickly as she could. Before Ganondorf knew what was happening, Malon had send a jolt of power that sent him toppling off of the edge of the island. He screamed, and Malon winced. Then, she found herself back in the throne room, with a very unhappy Zelda, a very proud Link, and an even more proud Ruto.

"Okay, so you passed the Test of Wisdom," Zelda moped. "There's no _way_ you'll pass the Test of Power. Go now to the Chamber of Din!"

Malon did, and found herself in a firey pit. Nothing was imaginary about this room, she feared. This time, the whole thing was real.

"Malon," someone said from behind her.

She whirled around and saw Link, grinning devilisly, and a whole new feeling of fear passed over her. The last thing she wanted in the world was to hurt Link, and here she was, about to destroy him. Only it wasn't really him.

But it felt real enough to her.

"Zelda," Malon said. "I can't do this. Get me out, okay?"

Nothing happened.

"I mean it," she said, starting to panic. Link was edging toward her, insanity in his eyes. He held his sword at an angle, as if he were trying to defend himself, but the look in his eyes made it look like he was a complete psycho.

Malon took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. She held her hands out and shot out the most powerful bolt of magic she had ever dreamed of, made purely from fear. She heard Link's scream, and shut her eyes even tighter. She shivered from the loss of energy, and the amount of terror she had built up inside herself. Then, she realized that there really was nothing to be afraid of. It was just that she hated the thought of destroying someone who was so close to her.

"You did it!" Ruto's voice sounded kind of far-off. Malon peeked one eye open, then the other. She breathed out a heavy sigh of relief.

"Not even I could destroy me," Link commented, smiling. "I'm way too adorable, funny, outgoing, just an overall great guy."

Malon let out a giddy laugh. "I was so scared..but then I got so scared that I actually tried to kill it.." She started to cry. "I didn't want to die! I would rather have killed _you_ than let you kill me.."

"C'mon, it's not that bad. You knew that wasn't the real me. That me was really messed up in the head. This me is just all-around perfect."

"THAT'S IT!" Zelda screamed, furious. "You can go into the Sacred Realm! Ha! The ultimate punishment!"

She cast her power once more, and a void of darkness opened up before them.

"GO IN!" she yelled.

"This is the Sacred Realm?" Link asked nervously.

"You've got to remember, the Evil Realm is gaining control," Ruto reminded.

"GO!"

The three of them got up and ran into the darkness, but Malon could see a blue light shining from deep within it.

End of Ch 3. Like? Don't like? Tell me! Review! Please, please review!

Ch 4 coming soon! And, once again, I ask that you please review! Thank you!


	4. Chapter 4

Nature Sage - Ch 4

Mua ha ha. The suspense. Sorry this one took so long.

Malon felt the shadows brushing past her, and shivered. The now evil Princess Zelda had sent her, Ruto, and Link into the Sacred Realm, which had been converted to the Evil Realm. Upon entering, they found themselves swallowed in a world of darkness. The only shred of light that they had to guide them was a pale blue light, way off in the distance. It kept flickering as if it was about to go out. It seemed to be calling them, beckoning them toward it.

"Hey! Look!"

"I swear I've heard that voice somewhere before," Link said thoughtfully.

"Over here!"

"I remember it, too," Ruto confirmed. "Where is it from?"

Malon summoned her newfound Sage Power and cast a beam of light toward the tiny creature. Realization began to creep onto Link's face as he saw small wings.

"No," he said softly, his face stricken with panic.

"Link! Over here! It's me, Navi!"

"AAAAAHHHHHH!" Link screamed, beginning to run away. Ruto and Malon held his arms steady so that he didn't get anywhere.

"Come on, Link," Malon encouraged. "It's just Navi."

Link shook his head. "You don't understand.."

Malon walked over to the stray fairy and used her power to break the seal on the cage she was trapped in.

"Thank you," she breathed. "I am Navi, the Guardian of the Sages. I was appointed to this title when the Goddess of Time saw my skill in handling Link."

"Yeah, right," Link said snidely. "I handled myself, thank you very much."

Malon looked at him in shock. That was not something Link would normally say. Her eyes widened when she saw that his entire character had become a few shades darker.

"The evil here is affecting him," Navi said wisely. "It would be best to get him out of here, and heal his pain."

"How do I do that?" Malon asked frantically. Link was glaring insanely at Ruto, who was backing away slowly.

"Use your power as a Sage," Navi instructed. "Focus on sending Link back to the Kokiri Forest, where Saria is waiting to rid him of the evil that has bestowed itself upon him."

She nodded, and did as the fairy had told her to. A bright, silver beam appeared and enclosed Link inside itself. It was soon gone.

"Why aren't we turning evil?" Ruto asked, looking at her skin.

"You are Sages. I have been freed, and now have the duty of protecting you."

"What about Zelda?"

"It was too late for me to save her. She is the Princess of Darkness now, dedicated to releasing Ganondorf from the Evil Realm, and ruling Hyrule alongside him under his evil power."

Malon recovered her strength. "Is there any way for us to save her now?"

"It is up to Link, now," Navi said, fluttering nervously. "I'm not sure he is the right person to - "

"Hey, Link will do just fine," Malon said angrily.

"Right. Anyway, we have to round up the other Sages of Nature, then choose our strategy," Navi said. "Now, Malon, all you must do is summon Rauru. He will do the rest."

Malon raised her arms and cast her power, creating a silver ball of light above her head. "Rauru, Ancient Sage of Light," she whispered. "I call upon you - er, thee. Thee! I call upon thee to gather the Six Sages of Nature - "

"Seven," Navi hissed.

" - Seven Sages of Nature in Hyrule Field at midnight tonight!"

The silver ball whisked away, leaving Malon exhausted. Ruto sat there laughing.

"You mean you couldn't figure out that there were _Seven_ Sages!?" she cried. "Duh, let's see - Light, Forest, Fire, Water - "

"Shut up, Ruto."

"'I call upon you - duh, I mean thee - "

"SHUT UP, RUTO!"

"Okay."

Malon lay awake in her bed, waiting. She knew Rauru wouldn't be late. He was way too responsible for that.

A beam of light shot down from the clouds. Right on time. She peeked out her bedroom window.

"Sages of Hyrule," he called in an echoing voice. "The Hero of Time has summoned us! Come forth!"

Malon watched as the green, red, blue, orange, and purple beams of light came from the sky. They formed into the other Sages. Rauru turned and looked straight at Malon, but this time, she was ready.

"Sage of Nature, we are waiting for you."

The Sage raised her arms and summoned her power. She transformed into a shimmering ball of silver light and sped off toward the other Sages. She then reappeared as her normal self, dressed in a flowing, silver gown. Rauru smiled, proud to see how far their leader had come in the past day.

"Navi, the Guardian of the Sages, has informed me that we have two choices in our battle with the King of Evil and the Princess of Darkness. Those choices are: create a small Sage Realm and battle the entire Evil Realm within that, or break the seal on the Evil Realm and risk freeing Ganondorf, the King of Evil. We shall vote. Saria?"

The Kokiri girl stepped forward. "I think we should create the realm of our own."

"Darunia?"

"I say we break the seal. It would be far easier to fight Ganondorf than it would be to fight off the whole realm!"

"Ruto?"

"I agree with Saria."

"Impa?"

"I agree with Darunia."

"Nabooru?"

"I also side with Saria. We cannot risk those innocent lives."

"What innocent lives?" Darunia asked.

"The lives of all the people Ganondorf will destroy when he is free! Do you really think he's gonna sit here and fight us when he has all of Hyrule to conquer?"

"I agree with that," Rauru said. "So we shall create the Realm of the Sages! Let the Six Elements of Nature combine with Nature itself to destroy the evil threatening its existence!"

Everyone held their arms up and chanted something in ancient Hylian. Even thought she didn't know what they were saying, Malon found herself chanting along with them. A bright, white light opened before them, and the Seven Sages of Nature stepped into the new Realm of Sages.

-+-chapter four: completed-+-

How do you like it? Please review and tell me. Also, I need you to tell me if I should tie in Majora's Mask somehow.. I think I might have a way already, but if no one wants it there, then I won't include it.. Chapter 5 coming soon! Please review, and thank you.


	5. Chapter 5

Nature Sage - Ch 5

The votes are in, (well, some of them, anyway..) and I have decided...NOT to include the newest wonderful title in the Zelda series, Majora's Mask - YET! Mua ha ha. I still might not, but I didn't exactly leave time for votes...anyway, onward with the story.

"Before we actually start fighting inside this little Realm of ours," Ruto said thoughtfully, "don't you think we should decorate it a little?"

Malon sighed, realizing that she was in charge. She never considered herself a very good leader..

"I guess so," she said reluctantly. "But not too much, because we really need to - "

Ruto sprinkled some of her power in the middle of where the Seven Sages were standing. Out of nowhere, a crystal-clear pond formed. Ruto smiled and sank into it.

"This isn't exactly the time to relax.." Malon began.

"And we can have a forest over here!" Saria said happily, creating a small patch of trees. She giggled. "A tiny forest!"

"And maybe a mountain!" Darunia added, making one way bigger than he should have.

"And it can have a Gerudo Shrine on it, worshiping the Reigning Queen, Nabooru!"

"That's enough," Malon said firmly. "We don't need all this stuff, all we need it the strength to handle Ganondorf!"

"This mountain is made purely of strength!"

Malon sighed. "Get rid of the Gerudo Shrine, the mountain, the pond, and the forest. We're doing this the old-fashioned way."

The Sages reluctantly withdrew their creations, and floated in the middle of the vast, blue sky. Fluffy clouds sailed past slowly.

"Um.. Rauru, you can handle this. I'm too new to be devising battle strategies," she admitted.

"Let's begin with a size comparison," Rauru said. "Assuming that the Evil Realm is as large as Hyrule Castle, the Sage Realm is as large as a grain of sand."

"We're that small?"

"No! That's just the comparison!" he sighed. "Now, let's do a power comparison. If the Evil Realm could demolish Hyrule Castle in a single blow, then the Sage Realm is capable of destroying Lon Lon Ranch in a single blow."

"Wow!"

"That's when all of our power combine," he explained. "Alone, we could only destroy one pillar in Zora's Fountain."

Malon slumped down. "How do we combine our power?" she asked, afraid of what the answer might be.

"We transfer it into the Orb of the Nature Sages. That orb will then be used by you, our leader."

"I was afraid of that," she moaned.

"If our power is not enough... well, I don't know what we'll do," he said, his voice full of worry. "We would summon Princess Zelda, but she is...currently unable to assist us."

"Yeah, she's busy helping Ganondorf destroy us, but as soon as she's done she'll help," Nabooru said angrily.

"What about the other Divisions of Sages?" Malon asked, remembering what Ruto had told her.

"They are busy with the troubles at their parts of the world," Rauru said. "Besides, what kind of Sages would we be if we needed them to save our territory?"

Malon said nothing.

"Are we ready to transfer our power?" Impa asked.

"Yes," the others said in unison.

"Malon, the Orb of the Nature Sages is within you. Summon it to save Hyrule!"

Malon couldn't believe this. Link was supposed to be the one who saved the world and was admired by all. This time, it seemed like she would be in his shoes. She took a deep breath, and called on the Orb. It appeared before her so quickly. Silver in color, it sparkled like a diamond under the light.

"Six Sages, present your power to the Orb!" Rauru commanded, doing so himself.

Soon, all of the Sages except Malon had given their power to the Orb. It glowed in her hands, radiating with amazing power.

"Now, Malon," Rauru instructed, "focus all of your power on the Evil Realm. Concentrate on destroying it. Use all of your power along with all of ours!"

She nodded, and closed her eyes. She used the power to "see" outside of the Realm. She saw Link, sitting on top of a house in the village. He looked toward Hyrule Castle, concern in his eyes. Malon forced herself to focus on destroying the enemy.

Suddenly, it was as if she had been pulled right into her imagination. She was in an empty, black room, with torched in several different places. A deep, sinister laugh came from behind her. She whirled around, and faced one of her greatest fears.

There were thousands of Ganondorf. One in every direction. Malon, panicked, shot all of her power toward them, but they kept coming closer. She screamed, and shot more energy. Two of them fell to the ground. The rest leaped into the middle and became one huge Ganondorf. She screamed again.

He knocked her to the ground, and she held her arms up in an attempt at defense. "Oh, please," he laughed. "Even that flimsy Kokiri kid could protect herself better than that!"

Malon wondered if she had really been using all of the Sages' powers. She was abruptly struck in the head by her foe, and faded into unconsciousness.

"Malon.." a soft voice whispered. She opened her eyes halfway, and groaned.

"Malon, the Sage of Nature!" another said. "We have come to rescue you!"

"Who..?" Malon asked, half aware of what was going on.

"I am Paige, the Sage of the Zodiac, and this is Sharul, the Sage of Seasons. We have come to rescue you!"

She groaned again, and rolled over. Her eyes opened slowly, and she saw two people standing above her. One was a blonde-haired girl, with small ears, pale skin, and blue eyes. The other was a darker skinned boy with chestnut eyes. He was considerably younger than either Malon or the girl that must be Paige, perhaps eleven or twelve. It seemed like they were in a forest of some type.

Paige helped Malon up. "We, the Sages of the Zodiac, realized that your powers alone could not stop the King of Evil in Hyrule. We also realized that, even with our added powers, the King of Evil could still triumph. So we summoned that Sages of Seasons, and are confident that our power could defeat him."

"But Rauru said that I shouldn't..."

"Forget what Rauru said," Sharul advised. "We Sages should work together. Always."

"Why are you so young?" Malon asked, still in a daze.

"Duh," he laughed. "I'm a Kokiri boy!"

"And I'm an Earth girl," Paige said. "We come from different worlds, but unite as one to protect peace. Take our Orbs of Sages to the leader of all Sages, Zelda!"

"I can't do that," Malon said sadly. "She has become the Princess of Darkness, taken over by the Evil Realm. I'm sorry."

Paige thought for a moment. "Perhaps, if Sharul and I both go to her rescue as you use the three Orbs, it will weaken the evil for long enough for us to save her."

Malon shrugged. She had no idea what was going on. "I'll try, I guess," she said after a while.

"Great! Here are the Orbs!" Sharul said, handing Malon two more. "We still have our power, so don't worry about us. Just defeat Ganondork."

"Ganondorf," she corrected.

"Same thing," he said, grinning. With that, they were gone, and Malon found herself right back with Ganondorf.

Paige peeked around the corner. Zelda sat on her throne, back towards them. She motioned to Sharul to hurry, and then she crept right behind the Princess.

Sharul focused his mind and saw Malon battling the Evil King. He smiled, seeing that his fellow Sage had the advantage. She looked quite cocky. He crept up behind Paige and waited for a signal.

Paige stood up, quietly, slowly, and hit Princess Zelda on the head. Being a fairly weak person, Zelda immediately collapsed, out cold. She frowned, ashamed of what she had done to her leader, but reminded herself that it was necessary.

Sharul hurried over and began waving his arms and chanting a spell. A blend of orange, white, red, and green magic sprinkled from his hands onto the Princess. He finished the spell and smiled, satisfied.

Zelda's eyes fluttered open and filled with rage. "How DARE you do this to me!?" she shrieked. Sharul beamed himself out of there before Zelda had a chance to hurt him.

Paige ran over. "Zelda, it's me, Paige. You know, the Zodiac Sage? I'm here to help you."

"I require no help from the likes of you," Zelda snapped. "Now return to Earth, you vile little mortal!"

"Oh, and you're some immortal?" Paige asked, clearly angry. "My grandmother is more immortal than you, and she died seven years ago!"

"Seven years ago?" Zelda asked, her voice trembling.

"Yeah," Paige said uneasily, not sure of what had triggered that sudden breakdown.

"I remember seven years ago," Zelda said, her eyes filling with tears. "It's been more than that, now, but I still refer to it as seven years ago.."

"What happened?" Paige asked, trying to keep Zelda away from her anger.

"I was in the castle.. not this castle, of course; this one's new. But Impa told me to come with her, so I kissed Daddy good-bye and we left. Ganondorf saw us leaving, and started after us. He kept yelling, 'Give me the Ocarina..' I saw Link along the way, and I thought he could keep it safe.. so I threw it to him. I guess he got it, because he went to the Temple of Time and went into the Sacred Realm. But his spirit was sealed there, and Ganondorf had the nerve to follow him there.. the Door of Time was wide open, and he just went in and grabbed the Triforce. But it split apart, and I received the Triforce of Wisdom mark on my hand the next day. Impa told me what must have happened.. Oh, I felt awful!" Zelda started to cry.

"I'm sorry," Paige said sympathetically.

"What am I doing here?" Zelda said suddenly. "The last thing I can remember is seeing Link, Malon, and Ruto walk in.."

"You're cured!" Paige yelled happily. "Now Navi, the Guardian of the Sages, will protect your spirit, and you will remain with a good heart for all time!"

"What are you talking about?" Zelda asked, utterly confused.

"What is that girl doing?" Saria said worriedly. "She's been gone for hours!"

"Malon's just a little new at this, is all," Ruto said reassuringly. "Give her a while longer."

Just then, Sharul appeared in the Sage Realm. "I have bad news," he said, casting his power to create a viewing pool.

Everyone saw Malon, lying motionless on the ground, with an enormous Ganondorf laughing above her.

-+-chapter five: complete-+-

Well, what did you expect? I couldn't just _end_ it in five chapters! No way; seven is my minimum. ;) 

Don't worry, plenty more fun-filled Evil Realm battling ahead! Ch 6 coming soon.

Please review! I would really appreciate it! Thank you!


	6. Chapter 6

Nature Sage - Ch 6

The Sages gaped at the image of a lifeless Malon. None of them could believe what they were seeing. Malon, their newfound leader, the Sage of Nature, dead? How could this be?

"I'm sorry," Sharul, the Sage of Seasons, said sadly. "We really thought she'd be okay.."

"Who's 'we?'" Ruto asked angrily, tears in her eyes.

"Me and Paige. She's the Zodiac Sage. I don't think that category should exist though. Everyone knows that horoscopes aren't real."

"I believe in horoscopes," Saria said defensively.

Rauru sat staring at the image. It simply wasn't possible. Perhaps someone had taken her spirit at the last moment and saved her..

Just then, Paige appeared, along with twelve others.

"We are the Zodiac Sages of Earth," she said, "and we have come to help you win back the spirit of Malon, your leader. We have brought the Power of Zelda, our leader. She has been restored to her normal Sage status."

"That's good," Darunia said, relieved.

"How can we get her spirit back?" Ruto said sulkily. "It's gone."

"We still have the Sages of Time, no matter how conceited they are.." one of the Zodiac Sages said, slightly disgusted. The Sages of Time had a reputation of caring only for themselves. Zelda had often had to deal with them herself to get them to cooperate.

"Victory is never going to help us," Rauru said, speaking of the arrogant leader of the Sages of Time. "And even if she did, she'd find some way to ensure our demise."

Paige sighed. "It's the only way. We'll either have to ask Victory or the Sage of the Past. I forget his name."

"Ryan," Nabooru supplied, smiling.

"Right. Well, he's nice, I guess. We might be able to talk him into it."

"Yeah, right," Impa said, rolling her eyes. "That boy is completely controlled by Victory. He's scared to death to defy her."

One of the other Zodiac Sages looked into the image of Malon. She obviously wasn't dead, he could tell. Her eyes kept fluttering open, then falling shut again. If only he had a way to reach her..but only one with an Orb of Power could create an imaginary fight like that. That was what it was, he was sure. Ganondorf had entered her imagination and turned it frightening. She wanted an escape, and collapsed into a trance of illusion.

He sat down while the others were arguing over what to do. If he was her, where would he run to? He knew that she enjoyed sitting on the shores of Lake Hylia..but no, not without someone. Maybe it was the ranch! That was it! All he had to do was create an imaginary replica of Lon Lon Ranch.. one that was so real, that it would become his reality.

"Okay, someone get Zelda. She can do it for us," Paige said, looking around. She saw the Sage sitting there, so deep in thought. "How about you, Aries?"

He looked up, disappointed. "Yes, ma'am," he said, slowly rising. He transformed himself into a ball of light and sped off to Hyrule Castle.

He skimmed along the field, swerving just around trees. He enjoyed the thrill of having huge things whiz past him at incredible speeds, although he really wasn't going much faster than a horse at top speed. Suddenly, though, he smacked right into something.

And that something said, "Ow!"

"Sorry," Aries said quickly. He hated having the same name as the Sage sign he represented.

"It's fine," the person said, staggering back to look at the speck of light. "You a fairy or something?"

"No, a Sage," he said. "I'm Aries, one of the many Zodiac Sages."

"I'm Link, Hero of Time. No, I have no Sage powers, just stupid old regular Hero of Time powers. Which, oh yeah, is NOTHING!"

"I don't have many powers, either," he said quickly, trying not to upset the legendary Hero of Time. Rumor on Earth was that the Hero of Time was very violent and would instantly kill anything that angered him. "I have to get to Hyrule Castle, though, and tell Zelda to get Victory or Ryan to come save Malon."

"Malon's in trouble?" Link asked, half-drawing his sword.

"I think she's at the Ranch," the Sage said reasonably, "but everyone else thinks she's dead."

"Then I have to get to the Ranch," the hero said, determined.

"Not the real ranch, the imaginary one."

Link looked confused.

"You have to imagine Lon Lon Ranch so intensely that you enter your imagination and are able to rescue Malon," he explained.

"Oh, okay. You go ahead; I'll try that," Link said, squeezing his eyes shut.

Aries shrugged and resumed his journey to the castle. When he got there, he found Zelda out on her balcony.

"Do you think you could get the Sage of Time to save Malon?" he asked, reforming into his own self beside her.

She turned around, her eyes full of worry. "I can do that. But will it help? Victory is not the nicest person in the world."

"We thought that, as well, but she's our only hope. We were thinking that we could try Ryan first. You know, he's more caring than her."

Zelda nodded, closing her eyes. "Ryan, Sage of the Past, please come to me now!"

A ball of multicolored light appeared, and Ryan was standing there looking nervous.

"Hey, Ryan," Aries said. "Do you think you could help us out?"

He nodded. Ryan didn't talk much when he was nervous.

"Go back in time and stop Malon, the Nature Sage, from entering her imagination and engaging in battle with Ganondorf," Zelda said, clasping her hands together like she does when she's hopeful.

"I can't do that."

"Why not?" Zelda asked calmly, but Aries could tell she was furious.

"It would change the course of Time," he said simply.

"That's the point!" the Princess screamed. "We're SUPPOSED to change the flow of time so that Malon doesn't die!"

"She is safe," he replied. "Your Hero of Time is tending to her right now."

Zelda looked puzzled for a moment, then cast her power into a viewing pool.

Malon sat in the stable, holding her head. "Why, why did I have to do this?" she moaned.

"It's destiny," Link said, sitting beside her. She jumped up, startled. When she realized who it was, she smiled and sat back down.

"Why is destiny so cruel to people?" she asked, brushing her hair out of her face.

Link shrugged. "I guess it knows that we can deal with it, and it will make us stronger people."

She smiled again, laying her head on his shoulder. "But I can't handle it. I nearly died!"

"Malon, that wasn't real," he said rationally. "It was an imaginary battle with real consequences. All you really have to do is use your imagination, and the Evil Realm is back to the tiny speck it started as."

"Yeah," Malon said. "You're right. I guess I should go back now, huh?"

"Yeah. Go ahead."

She focused her mind, and was instantly back in the battle.

"Hey!" Ganondorf yelled. "I thought I.."

Meanwhile, the Sages saw Malon get back up after being out for so long.

"She's not dead!" Ruto cried happily.

"Shhh," Paige hissed, staring at the image. They all gathered around to see what happened.

Malon's lips formed into words, but the viewing pool didn't carry sound. Saria scowled.

Ganondorf laughed (you could tell when Ganondorf was laughing), and shot a bolt of magic at Malon. She dodged easily, and closed her eyes. Suddenly, she was engulfed in a field of lightning. She raced toward Ganondorf, and it looked like he screamed.

Some of the Zodiac Sages of Earth wished for popcorn. The Hylians didn't know what it was.

Ganondorf's body started to evaporate, and he looked afraid. She laughed and said something, then he shouted something, and then he was gone.

Malon smiled, and teleported back to the Sage Realm.

"How did you do that?" Paige asked, amazed.

"I just used my imagination," Malon replied.

"You must have a strong one," the Pisces Sage commented.

"Come on, let's get out of here. It's, like, three in the morning," Nabooru said, yawning.

Everyone agreed, and they went back to Hyrule Castle to stay the night.

-+-chapter six: complete-+-

I'm tired. It's late. You understand, don't you? I think this is the end of my little series here. I don't know, I might put out a chapter seven, but I doubt it.

Sorry that Chapter 5 turned out so bad. I didn't re-read it or anything, but after I put it up I remember thinking "why did I just do that!?" Oh well. Too late now.

Please review! Thanks!

and you have not heard the last of me! ;)


	7. Chapter 7

Nature Sage - Ch 7

Sorry. One thing I'm really bad at is endings. :deep breath: Here it goes..

Princess Zelda awoke with a start. Her dream had been so vivid.. so real.. She decided to go talk to Malon.

She knocked on the door of one of the guest suites. "Come on in," Malon said, in a cheerful voice. Zelda did.

"Hey, last night I had a dream, and I wanted to talk to you about it," she said. Malon smiled. She was so understanding.

"Go ahead," she said, continuing to brush her hair.

Zelda took a deep breath. "Well, supposedly, yesterday you defeated Ganondorf's Evil Realm, and it's back to being the size of a tiny little speck. Now, in my dream, he wasn't gone. Just.. not where we thought he was." Malon kept nodding thoughtfully, her brush gliding more slowly through her hair. "And there was this circle of gems.. but we didn't have all of them. There were so many of them, but only eight of us.."

"Do you know where this place is?" Malon asked, putting down her brush.

"Yes, I do. Come with me," the Princess said, leading Malon out of the room.

Zelda took Malon out behind the castle. There was a moss-covered hillside, with what looked like a handle coming from it. "Oh, my gosh!" Zelda gasped. "There is a handle in this hill!"

Malon raised an eyebrow. "You mean, after all this time you've lived here, you never noticed a shiny, gold thing sticking out of the ground?"

"Well, soorrrrry. I'm not the most observant person in the world," Zelda scoffed. "Let's just go in."

She went over and opened the 'door' in the hillside. A beautiful, white light poured from inside. A voice called to her, as well.

"Princess! At last, you've arrived!" Navi cheered. "You must come inside, and quickly!" The girls shrugged and followed Link's guardian fairy into the chamber.

"Here is the Circle of Nature Gems," Navi said. "All of the Nature Sages have to put their respective gems into these slots. Then, it is said that a legendary magic rod will appear inside of it."

Malon ran her hand along the openings in the circle. "But there's so many," she said softly. "We've only got seven!"

"Well, the largest slot is for the Princess Zelda," Navi explained. "But the rest are all Nature Sages, such as yourself."

Zelda paused. "I don't know what any of their 'respective gems' are! I don't even know what _mine_ is!"

"Well, the first three are fairly obvious, don't you think?" Navi asked, landing on the slot for Zelda's Gem. "Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald.. the Three Spiritual Stones?"

"So there are Spiritual Stones for each one of these twelve Sages?" Malon asked hopefully.

"No," Navi laughed, "that would make them far too easy to find!"

The Sages' faces fell. "Then how do we know which exact gems are ours?" Zelda demanded.

"They will let you know," Navi said. She snapped her tiny fingers. "Freya! Come tend to the Sages in their quest!"

Another fairy flew in, but this one was a very vivid green color. It was unlike any fairy either of the girls had ever seen. Then again, it was one of the _only_ fairies the girls had ever seen.

"I'm Freya," the fairy said politely, "and it seems Navi wants me to guide you. Perhaps you are truly guiding me, for - "

"Freya!" Navi yelled. "Fairies don't talk unless required to do so!"

"Sorry."

Zelda and Malon returned to Hyrule Castle with Freya flying silently close behind. They immediately found Link waiting for them in the main hallway.

"I finally figured it out!" he said, grinning. "I'm the Ice Sage! With my powers of snow and blizzards, I prevent winter from ever coming to Hyrule!"

Zelda rolled her eyes. "Link, get over it. You're not a Sage. You're the Hero of Time."

Link slouched and went back to his room.

"Maybe there really is an Ice Sage," Malon reasoned. "It's worth a thought. Who could it be?"

"Probably Ganondorf," Ruto said, just then walking into the room. "Darkness is - "

"Darkness!" Malon and Zelda cried together. "The opposite of light!"

Ruto paused. "Um, yeah. And up is the opposite of down.."

"That means that Ganondorf _could_ be the Sage of Darkness. Rauru has no room in is good heart for evil.." Malon began.

"And the opposite of a good heart is an evil one," Zelda finished.

"What are you talking about?" Ruto asked finally.

"Smoke Sage? No, who would want that?"

"Sky Sage?"

"Definitely!"

Ruto cleared her throat. "WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT!?!?!"

"There are four new Sages that we have to find," Malon explained. "We're trying to figure out what they are. I think we have them."

"They are: the Sage of Ice, Sage of Sky, Sage of Smoke, and Sage of Darkness," Zelda added triumphantly.

"Sage of Smoke? Who would want that?"

Malon turned to their new fairy companion. "How, exactly, are we supposed to find these Gems and Sages?"

Freya glowed a bit brighter. "Well, the Gems will contact you. The Sages will be awaiting you at the end of your path. At least, that's what the legends say.." She giggled.

"Maybe the Sage of Clouds. Not smoke!" Ruto said.

Zelda paused for a moment. "Come to think of it, I don't recall there being a hill behind the castle.."

"Sage of Air!" Link yelled, coming back down the stairs. "That's me! Can I have my medallion?"

"I'll lead you to the first gemstone," Freya said proudly. "Organize a team of four or five, and we'll be off in a few hours."

"You know where that is?" Malon asked hopefully.

"Of course!" the fairy laughed. "How else would you start off an adventure?"

A young maiden sat sharpening her dagger in the forest on the other side of Death Mountain. She had a small area cleared out, with a rock in the center. She sat there in a long, dark cloak, with a veil over her face.

She heard voices approaching, and turned around. Five people, it sounded like, were making their way through the forest to New Grove Village, which was a ways down the mountain. It was strange; no one had come through these woods for more than five years.

A brilliant, green fairy shot into view, then turned back to wait for the others. The girl thought that fairies were amazing creatures, and went nearer to it. It turned around, frightened.

"Yaaaaah!" Freya yelled, flying back to Zelda.

"What? What happened?" Malon asked, trying to comfort the poor thing.

"Th - there was a girl trying to capture me!"

"I wasn't trying to capture you," she said, annoyed. "I simply wanted a closer look. I've never seen a real, live fairy before."

Zelda smiled warmly, as she had been taught to do when meeting people, though she didn't trust this girl one bit. "I am Zelda, the Princess of Hyrule. What's your name?"

The girl stared at Zelda for a moment, seemingly deciding on the spot what her name was going to be. "Leona," she said finally. "I live down in New Grove. What do you want, Princess?" she asked, in a slightly harsh tone.

Zelda looked as if she was about to say something very rude, so Malon decided to take over. "We're looking for some Gemstones. I'm Malon, the girl from the farm, and this is Nabooru and Link. Oh, and Freya, the fairy."

Leona looked at Link. "I am honored and happy to meet you, Hero of Time. I have worked tirelessly to be as skilled as you."

"Now, let's watch his head grow too big for his body, causing him to topple over, his head hitting the ground and exploding like a melon," Nabooru whispered. Zelda and Malon giggled quietly.

"Well, I am _extremely_ good with a sword," Link said, shaking Leona's hand. "But I'm sure you're a formidable enemy," he added.

"I've just finished polishing this moonstone," she said, holding it out for Link to see. "Perhaps it will help you?"

"Maybe," Link considered , lifting it from her hand. "I don't know if any of the Sa - OWWW! Hey!"

Zelda smiled sweetly, patting him on the shoulder. "We don't want to ruin any surprises," she said through gritted teeth. "Thank you for the Gem. Now, shall we resume our journey?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good. Leona, perhaps you could do us the pleasure of lunch sometime?"

"Oh, I couldn't," she said, readjusting her veil. "My trainer says to spend some more time in the mountains."

"What a pity. So, let's go," the Princess said, starting down the mountain.

Everyone followed Zelda down, but Leona grabbed Malon's shoulder as she was about to leave. "I just want to warn you, girl of the farm," she said quietly. "The town down there may...not be very friendly to Zelda. She deserves it, but not you or Link. Nabooru.. she's royal trash. Just watch your back, okay?." With that, she went back to her cleared area on this unknown side of Death Mountain.

Malon watched her walk away, then went to catch up with her fellow Sages and Link.

-+-chapter seven: complete-+-

This obviously is no longer the end of the story. It was going to be, but some people thought that chapter six did not really show an ending.. so I came up with this brilliant idea and now have quite a few more chapters in store for you wonderful people! =) There's kind of a lot going on towards the beginning, and I realize it's a little hard to follow.. but there's like 25 Sages staying there (most of them asleep still), what do you expect? And, I figure that just because Link wasn't allowed to go to the other side of Death Mountain in the game doesn't mean it's not part of Hyrule, right?  
So, as always, please review and chapter eight out soon!


	8. Chapter 8

Nature Sage - Ch 8

Zelda, Malon, Link, and Nabooru finally made it to New Grove Village, on the other side of Death Mountain. They were searching for four more Sages, and as many Gemstones they could get a hold of. No one knew which gems corresponded with which Sages, except for Saria, Darunia, and Ruto. Their Spiritual Stones were made from the same stones that belonged to them. Freya, one of Navi's fairies-in-training, had led them to New Grove in search of the first stone, but now she couldn't seem to find it.

"I know there's one here," she pouted, flying about frantically. "Navi said there was!"

"Relax," Nabooru said, strangely calm. "It's here. The fairy said it would find us, remember?" At that, Freya seemed reassured that she wasn't wrong about this.

Zelda glanced into one of the many shop's windows. Another person was glaring angrily at her. Why didn't anyone here seem to like her? She shuttered and walked a bit faster.

Malon walked silently beside Link, thinking about what Leona had said to her. The people here didn't like Zelda for some reason, but why wouldn't she tell Zelda that herself? Obviously, Leona didn't like Zelda much either.. Link put his hand on Malon's shoulder, and she jumped about four feet up. "You okay?" he asked, concerned.

"Yeah," she replied, calming down a little bit. "Have you noticed that the people don't like us?"

"Nope."

Malon sighed. "Good. I hoped I was being paranoid."

She felt a tap on her shoulder, and she whirled around, frightened again. "Relax," the person behind her laughed. "It's just Leona, from the forest. I came to take care of you guys. I figured you'd need some protecting."

"I can protect myself," Link said, somewhat offended.

"Oh, I know," Leona said hurriedly, "but Malon probably can't, so - "

"I can," Malon said, also offended.

Leona turned a deep crimson color. "Sorry. Just wanted to tag along, I guess. Making up stupid excuses.."

Malon looked at Leona's eyes. They were a sparkling blue color.. strikingly familiar.. but from where?

"Well, another person is always welcomed," Link said kindly, shattering Malon's thoughts.

"Thanks," Leona said. She removed the veil covering her face, and Malon saw a trace of someone she knew.. "I changed my mind," Leona said loudly. Zelda turned around. "I will join you guys for lunch, after all."

The Princess scowled. "Wonderful. Why don't you pick a place, since you're from around here."

They chose a place to eat, and Zelda asked Leona about her life.

"What do your parents do?" she asked, keeping a snooty look on her face the entire time they were there.

"Oh, they don't do anything," Leona said. "They're both dead. Never knew them."

"My mother's dead," Malon offered.

"My mother is dead," Nabooru added, "but I knew her until I was sixteen. And many of the Gerudos don't know their fathers."

"My parents are dead," Link said. "I never knew them, either. Well, my mom, she took me to the forest. The people there told me all about her."

"My father brought me here," Leona said. "He lived here for a while, then he had to go back to the war. I think that's how he died."

Zelda frowned. She didn't want to make a conversation out of it. "Well, what do _you_ do, then?"

"Nothing, really. I practice with my trainer every day, and I eat whatever I can catch. For some reason, the people here are kind of cold to me. They talk to me, sure, but only when I confront them. Thank you," she said as the waitress dropped off their food. Leona continued talking while she ate. "So I just stay in the woods all the time, only come into the village once or twice a month, and I was hoping I could come with you guys to find gemstones or whatever."

Link started to say something, but Zelda cut him off. "I don't think that's possible. You see, we need _Sages_ to come with us. You're - "

"I can be a Sage," Leona said excitedly. "I can use a sword and bow and arrows, oh, and I've got plenty of bombs and a shield.."

"Zelda, can she be the Ice Sage instead of me?" Link asked. "I'd like for her to come with us."

"You're not even a Sage!" Zelda shouted. "You shouldn't be here either! The only reason I let you come is because I - er, nevermind," she said, turning slightly red.

Malon rolled her eyes. "Of course you can come. Zelda's just being snooty. We usually ignore her when she's like this." Link and Nabooru nodded in agreement. Zelda continued pouting.

The small group finished their meal and continued through the village. Freya rejoined them, since she didn't like the same kind of food as they did.

"Well, what do fairies eat?" Leona asked.

"Nothing _you_ need to be concerned with!" Freya said hotly. Zelda grinned. Finally! Here was someone else who didn't fully trust this girl.

"Freya has a right to her privacy," the Princess said slyly, defending her newfound fairy friend.

Leona rolled her eyes. "Well, in any case, would you mind if I took my moonstone back? I am really quite fond of it."

"Where did you get it?" Nabooru asked.

"I found it when I was younger. Most of my life, my trainer has kept me in the woods near the village, and I found this out there. Strange, really; moonstones aren't usually found around here."

Malon suddenly seemed very interested. "And that stone is very.. attached to you?"

Leona gave her a quizzical look. "No, I'm attached to it. It's almost like a source of energy to me. It really helps me train."

Nabooru and Malon exchanged glances, an excited light shining in both their eyes. "We found one," Nabooru mouthed silently. Malon smiled, pulling her over.

"Zelda's not gonna want to give her the Sage powers," Malon whispered. "She hates Leona."

Nabooru sighed, knowing it was true. "We can go to Rauru," she suggested softly. "He gave you your powers."

Malon considered for a moment, then said, "Zelda's still gonna know. She'll do everything she can to stop this, you know."

The two Sages decided to tell Zelda about Leona after everyone settled down for bed that evening. They did their best to improve her mood by then, but she still seemed a little resentful towards Leona. After a while, they decided that the time was right.

"Zelda," Malon started, slightly nervous, "we have something you need to know."

"It's about that moonstone," Nabooru added. "And Leona."

Zelda's eyes narrowed. "What? Is she.."

"Yes," they said in unison.

Zelda's expression remained blank for a moment, then a huge smile spread across her face. "I was hoping it was her! Now I _have_ to trust her, and since Link likes her so much, he won't have to be upset with me!" She blushed. "Not that I really care what Link thinks about me. I mean - "

"We get it," Malon assured her. "You just.. didn't want to start a fight."

"Right. Now, tomorrow I'll give her the powers, okay?"

Nabooru smiled and nodded, surprised at how well things went. She and Malon then left Zelda and went to talk about their new Sage partner.

"This isn't gonna hurt, right?" Leona said nervously.

"Of course not," Zelda reassured. "Just close your eyes, and it'll be over in a minute."

Leona did just that, and Zelda cast her power over the maiden. After a few seconds, she lifted her spell and said, "It's done. Leona, I welcome you as the Sage of Wind."

Malon grinned at Zelda. "We were so close."

"Air, wind, basically the same thing.."

Freya remained silent through the whole ceremony. It wasn't really a ceremony, but the fairy thought it deserved to be one. There was something special about this girl, something that everyone knew, but no one could quite put their finger on. Freya knew she had to be the one to figure it out. That was the duty of the Sage Guardian Fairy, a duty that Navi had just recently temporarily entrusted her with. She sighed in frustration, unable to think clearly.

Zelda felt it, as well. Something about this girl.. she seemed so familiar to everyone, though they had known her for just over a day. Well, she was part of them now, Zelda realized, shrugging her feeling off.

Leona walked over and sat next to Link. "Sorry you're not a Sage," she said. "I'll do my best to live up to your standards, Hero of Time."

"Yeah. You are a lot like me," he joked. "You could _almost_ be as good of a Sage as I could."

"Almost?" Malon asked incredulously, entering their conversation. "Leona is eight times the Sage you could be!"

Link half-drew his sword and stood up. "Oh really? Take that back!"

Malon laughed and started running for cover. Link shot after her, tackled her, and they both rolled down the hill a little ways. Zelda frowned disapprovingly. "Come on, you guys. We have to go back to the castle and deposit that gemstone. Freya, lead the way. We're not going back through that creepy town.." She went on for a bit about how people don't respect you if you ignore them, and that she didn't really _ignore_ them, she just didn't know they were there.

Back at the castle, Paige had the Zodiac Sages on the search for Princess Zelda and Link. Paige liked to know where things were, and she didn't know anything about their quest. The Season Sages had to return to their village, so Paige took charge herself.

Aries, the Aries Sage, was ordered to search the Death Mountain area, along with Melody the Pisces Sage. Melody and Aries were cousins, both with dark hair and green eyes. They were about the same age as Link, Zelda, Malon, and Ruto. They used their powers to warp to Kakariko Village, and started walking up the mountain.

"I don't see why they couldn't just make it back alone," Melody whined. She hated hiking, walking, and almost any outdoor thing there was. She did like to sing, though.

"Paige said to walk this part. If we warp too fast, we'll miss them," Aries replied, growing impatient with his cousin. "It's not my fault, so don't come crying to me."

"Who ever would have imagined that we'd be _here_, in Hyrule, looking for Princess Zelda and Link!" Melody continued, her whiny voice now full of excitement. "I've always dreamed of meeting the Lead Sage! Wow! This is amazing!"

"She's not all that great," Aries muttered. Melody glared at him.

"There they are!" she said, pointing. "Zelda, Link! You other three people! Over here!"

"It's Mel and Aries," Aries called. "Paige sent us to find you."

Zelda sighed. "Paige is such a worrier. We can find our way ourselves! It's not like we've never been here before!"

"But we haven't," Nabooru pointed out.

"..That's not the point. The point is, we don't need Paige to send people looking for us." She turned to Aries and Melody. "Please go back there and tell Paige that we were just on our way and we'll arrive when we arrive."

"Okay," Melody said, "but she's not gonna be happy." She and her cousin warped back immediately.

Leona ran down Death Mountain Trail and into the village. She'd never been there before, and wanted to explore everything before it was time to go. "Wow!" she cried. "A shooting gallery! And look at this - a magic potion shop! I've never seen anything like this!"

"There's a bazaar across the street," Link said. He wanted to see what she would say to that, but she completely ignored him.

"What else is there in this part of Hyrule?" Leona asked, obviously very excited.

"A wonderful farm," Malon began.

"And a beautiful desert!" Nabooru said proudly.

"And a forest full of children," Link added.

"And a castle with a bunch of Sages in it," Zelda concluded. "There's a bunch more, but none of those people are here right now. We have to go to the castle."

Leona nodded, starting toward the exit of Kakariko Village. The others followed, and Malon went ahead to the ranch to see her father. After many stops along the way, they made it to Hyrule Castle.

"There you are!" Paige practically yelled, running over to the Princess. "I've been worried sick!"

"If only that had been the case.." Nabooru said quietly. Leona snickered softly. Paige gave them a dirty look.

"Well, Mel and Aries _did_ say you'd be coming soon, but that was almost forever!"

"Sorry," Link said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Leona's never been on this side of the mountain, and she wanted to stop and see some things."

"Freya, take Leona to put her Moonstone in the circle, okay?" Zelda asked.

"This way," the fairy said, leading Leona out of the room. Link and Nabooru followed, leaving Zelda to deal with Paige.

"Look," Nabooru said happily. "There's already an emerald here!"

"Yeah," Saria said, stepping back. "I just got here. I also found Trevor, he's the Sage of Thunder. Oddly enough, he already had his powers."

"Where's his stone?" Link asked.

"He's got it with him."

"Well where is he?"

"He's with his mom."

Nabooru opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again. "You mean he's too young to be here by himself?" she asked finally.

"Exactly," Saria said, turning to face them. "You guys, Trevor can't really help us. Even though he's unusually bright for his age, he's only four years old."

"But there is one thing he can do for us," Navi said, "and it involves some things that might be hard to get to cooperate."

"Hey, Trevor," Link said, sitting down near the child.

"Trevor is my new friend," the Virgo Sage's little girl said happily. "He pick up my barrette!"

"Really?" Nabooru said in a talking-to-babies voice. "That's spectacular!"

"That's schapacklar!" she repeated, giggling.

Trevor looked up at Link. "Can you please make her go away?" he whispered. His eyes were big and hopeful.

"Sure," he replied. "Nabooru..?"

"Say no more," she laughed, picking up the little girl. "We're gonna go see you mommy about some spectacular things!"

"Schapacklar.."

"Thank you," Trevor sighed. "I was 'fraid she'd _never_ leave! My name is Trevor, and I'm the Thunder Sage!"

"That's great, Trevor," Link said. "I'd really like to know more about the Thunder Sage, if that's okay."

"Okay," the boy said. "You're nice. You won't let Princess Zelda get me."

Link stopped for a minute. "Wh.. what do you mean?"

"Mommy and me saw Princess Zelda yelling at this girl, and the girl said that Zelda had evil powers and she'd put a curse on me!"

Link choked back laughter. "Zelda's not gonna do anything like that. The girl only said that 'cuz she was mad. Princess Zelda is a really nice person. She's smart, funny.. beautiful.."

Trevor noticed that Link's attention was starting to drift off subject. "I'm not talking about how much you're in love with her," he said flatly. Link looked at the ground, embarrassed. "Sorry. Anyway, Mommy said that I'm too little to be a Sage and I don't know what to do."

Just then, Link heard the main door open. "That must be Malon. You stay right here. I have to go for a minute."

"Okay," Trevor said, watching Link leave. He looked down and smiled at the small onyx in his hand. "Thanks, Link. Now I know just what to do."

-+-chapter eight: complete-+-

How do you like it? I really could have gone on and on and on, but I quit here because I didn't want to go on and on and on. ^_^  
Anyway, as always, next chapter coming soon and PLEASE review! Thanks!


	9. Chapter 9

Nature Sage - Ch 9

"Here's another stone," Malon said, dropping a pearl into Zelda's hand. "Found it outside the ranch. I figure it's mine."

"Good," Zelda breathed, dropping it into her pocket. "Just a few more.."

"A few?" Link laughed, coming into the room. "We've only got four. Out of, what, twelve?"

Zelda blushed. "So what? I'm trying to sound optimistic here!"

There was a brilliant, deep blue flash, then Ruto appeared, along with a male Zora. "I found another Sage!" she announced proudly. "He's the Sage of Ice. I've already given him his power."

"Did you find your gemstone?" Malon asked hopefully.

"Yep. Lukas here hasn't got one, though. Oh, and Darunia asked me to bring this here. He's not quite finished with what he was doing."

"What was he doing?" Link asked.

"Something about a Goron food problem. He said he'd be here in a while."

Leona rushed into the room. "I heard there was a new Sage?"

"Hey, I'm Lukas," the Zora said, extending his hand/fin. Leona shook it warmly.

"Pleased to meet you. You're the Sage of Thunder?"

"No, Ice."

"Oh. Well, where's the Sage of Thunder?"

"He's in here," Link said, grabbing Leona's wrist and pulling her into the room.

"Link," Trevor said, looking relieved. "I gotta talk to you."

"In a minute, okay, pal? I want you to meet my friend Leona. Malon, come in here!"

Trevor smiled at the two girls that entered the room. "I'm Trevor; and I'm four. I'm also the Sage of Thunder."

Leona and Malon introduced themselves. Trevor cocked his head a bit.

"Are you two related?" he asked.

Leona laughed. "No, we come from different families. We even look very different." Malon smiled, and nodded. Trevor seemed satisfied, and turned back to Link.

"I thought real hard about it," he started, "and I decided that, since I'm too little to be a Sage, I want _you_ to be one for me, Link."

Link's jaw fell opened. "You mean it?" he asked after a moment.

"Yes. Take the stone. I've already transferred my power into it."

He held out his hand, and Trevor dropped the small black onyx into it. Link's hand instantly filled with energy, and he almost dropped the stone.

"Careful!" Trevor said, smiling as Link's dream came true. Leona and Malon were also grinning like idiots, watching Link's eyes, which were wide with amazement.

"I'm a Sage!" he yelled happily. Zelda rushed into the room.

"You're not a Sage," she said, half-doubtfully. "It's not possible.."

"I gave him my powers for a while," Trevor explained, "so that he can save Hyrule for me."

Link grinned up at Zelda. "I want a kid just like him someday." She turned red and looked away. He continued, his face glowing. "You're terrific, you know that, Trevor? The best!"

"I know," he said happily. "Absolutely _the_ best."

"Well, come on," Zelda said suddenly. "I still have to find my stone, and so do what's-his-name and Impa and Rauru and.. Is that it?"

"And another Sage," Ruto added.

"Right! Another Sage. Malon, Nabooru, take Link out into the field to practice his powers. I'm going to find my stone. Impa and Rauru are coming with me. Oh! Nabooru, nevermind, you go look for your stone. Malon will train Link with Trevor and Leona. Now go!"

"Princess," Trevor started timidly. "Shouldn't we all get our Spiritual Stones, too?"

Zelda froze. "But Navi said we didn't have Spiritual Stones."

"No," the boy corrected, "she said we didn't need them for this mission. But we do all have them. They might come in handy somehow."

She sighed with relief. "If anyone happens to come across their Spiritual Stone, bring it back here." Trevor frowned, feeling as though he had been overlooked. "_Now_, everyone can go."

"Try to strike that tree over there with lightning," Trevor coached. "Focus on hitting it. Ready.. build your power.. NOW!"

A bolt of lightning shot down and nearly hit Malon. She screamed and jumped away. "Sorry," Link said. "I'm trying! I guess I'm not destined for this kind of stuff."

"Obviously not," Leona remarked. Trevor giggled.

"Try it again. Don't focus so much on the object, but on the distance. Now!"

Another bold of lightning came frighteningly close to Leona. She screamed. "That was no accident! He's trying to kill me!"

"I am not," Link argued. "I'm just inexperienced! I didn't judge the direction right!"

"Oh, and the tree is exactly four feet away from you, only to the north?"

"Exactly," he said, grinning. Taking a deep breath, he successfully struck the tree for the first time out of a dozen attempts.

"See?" Trevor said proudly. "You just needed to relax a little! Malon, heal the tree." She did so. "Now, try again. Keep relaxed this time!"

Link sighed. It was hard to remember that this kid was only four. He tried again and struck the ground inches from his feet. "Maybe that's enough practice," he said nervously.

"I don't think so," Malon said. "The rest of us were nearly killed by you, I don't see why you can't come near killing yourself. Try it again, and keep relaxed, like Trevor said."

"Think about it, Link: Together with Ruto, we could have a hurricane or tornado or something!" Leona said happily. "Just in case we feel like a rainy day any time soon."

Meanwhile, Zelda and Impa were checking the castle treasury for any gemstones that felt special to them. They had gone through nearly half of the jewels already, and found nothing.

"Here's an amethyst that feels strong," Impa said.

"Or maybe it's just heavy," Zelda said, disappointed. "There's nothing in here for me. I suppose you've found your stone, though. Go ahead and put it in the circle."

After her old nursemaid left, Zelda was left in an ocean of jewels that didn't help her at all. She looked toward the ceiling. "Oh, Nayru, _please_ help me out here," she prayed aloud. A beam of blue light appeared, containing a pink stone. Zelda's heart filled with joy, and she lifted the stone.

__

"Zelda, this is Nayru. Since you asked nicely, I decided to help. This is your stone, a kunzite. Take good care of it!" Zelda heard the words in her mind, and smiled.

She took her kunzite out to the circle and put it in the largest of the openings. Three smaller ones appeared in a triangle inside of the circle. "Great!" Zelda wailed, exasperated. "The second I accomplish something, it's ripped away from me!"

"Not quite," someone said behind her. The Princess turned around and saw three identical maidens, dressed in the same outfit, only different colors. They all had golden hair, their skin shining with a golden tone. Their eyes matched the color of their outfits: one blue, one green, one red.

"Our parts belong there," the one in red explained. Realization began to sink into Zelda.

"Where can we find them?" she asked in awe.

"We'll send them to you once your circle is complete," the one in blue said, smiling faintly.

"We are the Three Supreme Sages," the one in green said. They all looked to the sky, dissolved into their respective colored dust, and disappeared.

Rauru walked in and put his stone into the circle. "We're getting closer," he said. "Only four more to go. And Link even has the onyx with him."

"Yeah," Zelda said, still staring at the spot where the maidens had been. "And only one more Sage to find."

"We're back!" Link announced loudly, running into the small chamber. "And I brought Trevor's stone, although it's really _mine_, for a while."

"Good," the Princess said. "Put it in the circle."

"But wait - look at what I learned!" he said, grabbing her arm and dragging her outside. He held up his hand, like he was holding an imaginary softball. A yellow-white ball of power formed, and he threw it toward a tree. It hit, and engulfed the tree in a field of electricity. When it subsided, the tree was as black as coal. "Isn't that cool?" he said, his eyes shining with excitement.

"Um.. yeah," Zelda said. "Why don't you get some sleep? I think you've done too much work for today."

"But this is so cool! Look what else I can - "

"Link," she interrupted, looking into his eyes. He suddenly got a serious look on his face.

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "I'll quit."

"Good," she said, turning and reentering the castle.

Malon rushed up to Zelda. "It's time," she said breathlessly.

"Time for _what_?"

"The Evil Realm is gaining control again," she explained. "We need all the Sages _now_."

"But we don't have them all!" Zelda said, panicked.

"We're gonna have to try with what we've got. A bunch of evil 'troops' are outside, shooting fire arrows at us."

"Fire arrows?"

"Yep. Fire arrows."

They heard a thump, and turned in time to see the door start to burn. "Oh no," Zelda breathed as the flames grew larger.

-+-chapter nine: complete-+-

Now, tell me honestly: did I rush the ending again? I have a horrible habit of doing that. Anyway, I hope you all liked it, please review my story, and chapter ten coming soon.


	10. Chapter 10

Nature Sage - Ch 10

"What are we gonna do?" Zelda wailed, trying to put out the burning door. The castle was under attack by Ganondorf's possessed troops. The castle guards were doing their best to keep them back, but they were failing.

"CALL RUTO!" Malon screamed, hoping that someone nearby had heard her. There was a crash, and one of the dining chairs ignited into flames.

"This isn't happening," the Princess moaned. "This is not happening."

"Yes it is," Trevor said, entering the room. His eyes were full of fear, but his face remained calm. "The people out there are angry, aren't they?"

"Yes," Malon told him. "They are minions of the evil Ganondorf. You have to go find Ruto for us. You know, the Zora?"

Trevor stared at the burning mess that used to be the main hallway. Several more fire arrows shot in through windows and burnt various pieces of furniture. He nodded solemnly, running out of the room to find Ruto.

Leona came in from a different room. "What's going on?" she demanded, using her wind power to blow out a chair.

"The people out there are being possessed by Ganondorf," Zelda said, "and they're burning the place down. Trevor just went to get Ruto. I hope she's close."

"We need everyone to come here," Malon decided. "We can all focus our power and create a shield. This castle is _way_ too big for just one of us to protect."

Zelda managed to put out the door, but most of the main hallway was still burning. "Leona, you go round everyone up. Ruto, Malon, and I will douse the flames here. Hurry!" Leona nodded, rushing away just as Trevor and Ruto returned. They used their power to deflect any arrows that hadn't already hit, after Ruto had put out the fire.

"The door's still half-gone," Malon speculated. "We can't leave it unattended; it'd be far too easy for them to break down."

"I'll go get Link to give me my powers back," Trevor said, and he started to leave.

"No," Zelda said. "Let Link handle this."

"But I wanna be part of the action!" he whined.

"So does Link, and it's no fun hearing Link whine. You, I can tolerate."

Trevor slumped down, feeling defeated.

Impa and Rauru entered the room, looking worried. They watched the girls defending the castle for a while, then sat down with Trevor to wait for the others. It didn't take long for them to arrive. Saria, Lukas, Link, and Nabooru came back with Leona.

"Everyone stand in a circle or something," Malon instructed. "I don't know how to do this.. but we have to join hands? Probably, right?"

Trevor pulled her down so that he could whisper to her. "Leaders always act sure of what they do," he coached. "Even if you don't know if it's right, pretend that you do and everyone will listen." Malon nodded, standing up.

"Everyone join hands, get into a circle. Good, now, close your eyes and focus on shielding the castle. Zelda, you too! Come over here!"

Trevor looked out the window. He watched in amazement as a thin, semi-transparent pink barrier formed, inches away from the castle itself. The people outside looked confused when their arrows bounced back at them. He grinned and said, "You did it! It's working! We're safe!"

The circle broke their concentration and hugged each other, laughing and smiling. They all thought that the castle was going down in flames. It was a relief to know that they wouldn't die just yet.

Freya, the new Guardian Fairy of the Sages, flew into the window, with a dark fairy behind her. "I found our last Sage!" she cried happily. "Everyone, meet Dampé! He's the Sage of Darkness."

Everyone but Link glanced around nervously. Dampé had been dead for years. But his ghost was here.

"Dampé's dead," Freya explained, seeing everyone tense up. "His spirit is the Sage we're looking for. And here's his gemstone!"

Malon took a deep breath. "All right, everyone. How are we going to deal with the crew outside? Re-enter the Sage Realm?"

"No," Link said. "That didn't go very well. I think we should take care of them."

"No!" Zelda said. "Those people out there might be under Ganondorf's control, but they're still Hylians of my kingdom! No one is 'taking care of' anyone.. except maybe Link," she added, grinning. Link glared at her.

"Ha, ha. Hysterical. Now, seriously, I want to hurt someone, and I want it to be Ganondorf. Please can I go into battle? Please?"

Most of the Sages turned and looked at Malon. "No way, I'm not going back there again," she said, stepping back.

Zelda sighed. "I suppose it's alright, then. I think we should all go."

"And we can do our hurricane!" Leona said, looking excitedly from Link to Ruto. They smiled and nodded.

"Wait!" someone yelled, running into the room. It was Melody, the Pisces Sage. "Me and my cousin Aries want to go, too. We don't like being Zodiac Sages. We want to be Nature Sages, like you guys!"

"I never said that," Aries said, walking in behind her. He was usually very shy, while Melody was extremely outgoing. "I just wanted to help. And don't tell Paige; she'll go ballistic!"

"Yeah, what he said," Melody said. "Please? I've got water powers, and Aries has fire powers!"

"That's our signs," he explained. "Aries is a fire sign, Pisces is a water sign."

Zelda sighed again. "Fine. I guess you can come. Let's go then. Everyone focus!" They did, and soon they had returned to the Sage Realm that they had created several days ago. The Princess looked around nervously, ready for almost anything. "How do we summon him here?"

"Try your Sage-summoning spell," Saria suggested. "It worked for that Ryan kid, didn't it?"

"Yes, but Ganondorf's not a Sage," Zelda reasoned.

"No need to summon anyone," a sinister voice called. "I'm right here with you!"

Everyone whirled around, and saw Ganondorf standing behind them. He was holding an enormous sword, waving it psychotically. Link stepped forward, drawing his own sword.

"Let me handle this," he said. "I think I can take him."

Ganondorf laughed. "You want a piece of me? Bring it on, hero!" With that, his sword started glowing with tremendous energy. The Sages could feel the power vibrating through the air. They all winced, getting an extreme headache. "This sword can annihilate any Sage that comes near. If you still want to fight.."

All of the Sages except Link were moaning and holding their heads. He looked around, wondering what was causing such agony. "I don't feel a thing," he commented to himself. Then, to Ganondorf, "I don't know what you're doing to them, but I still feel fine. Cut it out before I have to hurt you. Matter of fact, I think I'll hurt you anyway." He held up his sword, letting it fill with electric energy. It glowed a yellow-white color, sparks flying from the tip.

"Your dream of lights coming from your sword finally came true," Malon remarked, smiling weakly. The pain was starting to wear off, for Ganondorf had stopped his attack. Link smiled, and slashed his sword in Ganondorf's direction. Bolts of electricity shot out at the Gerudo king, but when the lightning finished, he still looked fine.

"Is that the best you can do?" he sneered. Link gulped, backing up a bit. "Well, you're obviously not as powerful as you claim to be. For some reason, you are not affected by my Sage attacks, so I'll have to bring you down by force!"

Trevor sat alone in the main hallway of the castle. The candles had long been burnt out, and the people were still outside. It was dark and frightening for the child.

"Trevor!" the Virgo Sage's little girl said happily. "You save me! I alone and 'fraid in the dark!"

"Not you again!" Trevor complained to himself. Then, more loudly, "Yeah, it is very dark. Your mom is probably worried about you. You should go find her."

"Probly," the girl said, giggling. Trevor sighed.

Suddenly, they heard a crash. Looking over frantically, the little boy noticed glass lying on the floor. "Oh, no," he whispered. "I thought we had a barrier!"

"Somebody broked somethin'!" she giggled. Running out of the room, she yelled back, "I go tell mommy!"

Trevor sat, terrified, trying to figure out what to do. He didn't have his powers anymore, so there was nothing he could do alone. The Zodiac Sages, for the most part, were still in the castle. Paige was probably having a heart attack worrying about Zelda. He decisively got up and ran off in the direction that the little girl had gone. Up the stairs, around the hallways. Most of the corridors were empty.

"Hello?" he called, glancing around. A moan was heard from up ahead. The boy ran toward. When he found the room where everyone was, he nearly passed out.

All of the Zodiac Sages were lying on the ground, unconscious. Some of them were half-awake, but most were totally out. Terrified, not knowing what to do, Trevor ran back to the main hallway. Just as he was entering the room, he was struck with an intense wave of pain. He cried out, falling to his knees and clutching his hair. But Trevor was strong; after a few minutes, the pain was gone. What had caused it, though? And why hadn't he been knocked out? There was only one explanation - 

"Now!" someone yelled. Arrows shot into the hole in the doorway, going in every direction. Trevor's eyes widened, and he froze. He truly wanted to run away, but he was so afraid that his body wouldn't respond. Finally, he started frantically scrabbling away as the final arrows shot in.

"Again!" the person yelled, and more arrows shot in. Pressing his back against the door, the arrows shot directly over his head for a few seconds. Breathing a sigh of relief, he started creeping to a different room, a safer room.

"Aaaah!" Trevor cried, realizing that he had run too early. An arrow struck his back, and the pain was unbearable. He didn't even have his healing powers, he realized as the world got fuzzy. "Link," he called weakly, fading into unconsciousness.

Back in the Sage Realm, Link was losing horribly. He was bruised and bloody all over. _Please, Farore, don't let me die here,_ he prayed silently, blocking another blow with his sword. "I need some help here," he yelled for the twelfth time. "Malon? Zel? Anyone!?"

The other Sages formed a circle. "We need that mythical wand or whatever that Navi was talking about the other day. The only way to get it is to have all twelve gems. Twelve, is that right? No? Oh, well, however many. Let's get out of here. Everyone warp separately. We don't want Ganondorf getting into one of out group warps, do we?"

"No," they all mumbled, starting to warp away. Link took a bit longer, because Ganondorf was trying to cling to him, in hopes that Link would take him along. Everyone gathered in the Chamber of Gemstones, as they had begun to call it. Zelda counted the empty slots.

"We need three more," she said, sounding disappointed. "Impa, Nabooru, and Lukas, go find your gems. Wait! There's a bunch of psychos out there. Warp to your temples. Lukas, go to the Ice Cave. Warp, I meant!" she cried as he started walking out.

"Sorry," he said, casting his power just as the other two had.

"What are these spaces for?" Link asked, pointing. Leona and Saria came to see. "They weren't there before, were they?"

"No," Zelda said.

"What are they for?" he repeated. Zelda chuckled softly.

"I don't know if you're gonna believe this," she said, "but Triforce pieces."

Leona gaped. "Like, of the real, live Triforce?" she asked.

"Not live, I don't think, but real. They'll come after we find all the pieces."

"I have Courage," Link offered.

Zelda sighed. "No, the actual pieces. Solid gold, I think. Amazing." Link nodded. Suddenly, he bent over, holding his head. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said. "Just suddenly got hit by this awful headache. It's gone now, though. Lasted about two seconds."

"That's strange," Malon commented. "Nothing even happened to him. Something must've happened.. to.. Oh, Din, no!"

"What?" he asked, as Malon jumped up.

"Your powers are mostly mental, right? Think of what you want to happen."

"Yeah, and..?"

"Nothing in here hurt you. But your powers were shaken by this force.."

Zelda's face fell. "And if his powers were hurt.. Trevor!"

Link joined in looking worried, and the three of them plus Leona and Ruto rushed into the castle.

"Where is he?" Leona demanded as they frantically searched the hallways.

"Where did we leave him?" Ruto added.

"The main hallway," Zelda realized. Everyone took off toward the room. Malon got there first.

"Oh, my Goddess," she cried, backing away slowly. Trevor was lying on the ground in a puddle of blood, and arrow protruding from his back. Ruto and Leona rushed forward to check his pulse. The rest stayed in the doorway, hoping and praying that their little hero was all right.

-+-chapter ten: complete-+-

How pleasant! I'm sure this story really helped everyone's holiday spirit! Anyway, is it okay? Is this _way_ too sad? Did it ruin the whole story?? I'm so critical of myself!! Well, please review. And, in response to Nyx's review, there are eleven Nature Sages, plus Zelda is twelve. If you want to count the thirteen Zodiac Sages, then you've got twenty-five Sages. But if you don't, it's only twelve. Chapter 11 out sometime fairly soon.

Anyway, like I said, please review! And Merry Christmas!


	11. Chapter 11

Nature Sage - Ch 11

Ruto laid her hand on Trevor's wrist, hoping for a pulse. Link, Malon, Leona, and Zelda were sitting nearby, holding their breath and hoping that the little Sage was all right. She glanced up mournfully. "He's dead," she said, her voice choking and her eyes full of sorrow. Zelda buried her head in her hands. Malon tried to comfort her, but she had tears streaming down her face, as well. Link was doing his best not to show too much sadness; heroes were never supposed to cry. Leona and Ruto were sobbing and trying to comfort each other at the same time. It seemed surreal, that a child so young was meant to die. Link suddenly thrust his sword into the burned wall and stormed out of the room, hands running through his hair. Leona ran after him.

"What's wrong?" she asked, drying her tears.

"It's my fault," he said, huddled behind Zelda's throne. "I took his powers. He could have been healed..."

"It's not your fault," Leona said soothingly, hugging her friend. "You couldn't have prevented this from happening. It's no one's fault."

"No!" he shouted, glaring at her, then once again turned away. "It's my fault."

"Fine," she said angrily, getting up and leaving Link to pity himself. She went back to the hallway where everyone was mourning the loss of Trevor. No one wanted to move him; it was like there was some strange force keeping them from getting near.

Zelda and Malon stood together, watching as Trevor's mother wept over him. Her crystal-blue tears fell onto his face, and it seemed to glow with life. They turned away, not wanting to start to cry again.

Trevor looked around nervously, unsure of what was happening. He was floating in a gold sky, with pure white, fluffy clouds. _This must be a dream_, he decided, starting to explore.

__

"No, Trevor, you mustn't move yet," someone said. He froze.

"Why not?" he asked, looking around for the source of the voice.

__

"You're not there yet."

"Where?" Trevor was now hopelessly confused.

__

"You haven't reached the heavens. Watch for the Triforce, which marks the entry point."

"But I'm not dead, I'm dreaming," he said, starting to be afraid.

Soft, warm laughter filled his mind. _"No, boy; you are coming to join us! Help us unite, and vanquish all evil!"_

"I am dead?"

__

"Just think of it as joining the best," the voice joked. Trevor didn't laugh; he didn't even crack a smile.

"I'm not dead! I can't be dead!" he wailed, desperately trying to sink back to the ground. He looked up, and saw that he was nearing the Triforce.

__

"Don't be afraid, Trevor," the voice said. _"Just accept your fate, and join us."_

He screamed, closed his eyes, and prayed and prayed that he wasn't really dead. Not now, not while Link still needed his powers! As Trevor very well knew, when you die, your powers go with you to keep them from the hands of evil. Maybe they would be safe with Link, he decided, and relaxed a bit. Still, he wasn't ready to die.

__

"Hey! I said join us!" the voice said, sounding somewhat irritated. Opening his eyes, Trevor found that he was sinking back down through the air.

"I'm not dead!" he shouted with joy.

__

"This isn't your fate! Farore! Come in here and look at this!"

"Farore?" Trevor asked shakily. No one answered, and the golden sky faded slowly into blackness.

Rauru came in, and used his power to put Trevor into a glass coffin. His mother started sobbing loudly, hunched over her little boy. "Just like Snow White," Melody said sadly. Being from Earth, she knew the fairy tale.

"That's it!" Aries, her cousin, yelled. "He's not really dead! It was a poisoned arrow, and it made him fall asleep until a beautiful Princess kissed him!"

"That's Sleeping Beauty," Melody corrected.

"Should I kiss him?" Zelda asked nervously.

"It couldn't hurt," Leona offered. Everyone watched in anticipation as Zelda went up and kissed Trevor on the forehead. Nothing happened.

"Well, in the fairy tale, it was a Prince," Melody said.

"We don't have a Prince," Malon said sadly. "Do you know any fairy tales where the farm girl saves the person?"

"No," Melody said, after careful thought. "At least, not that I remember."

"There was that one where the Prince got turned into a beast 'cause he didn't care about anything but money, and the peasant girl saved him," Aries suggested.

"Did she kiss him?" Malon asked.

"I don't think so. Not until the beast turned back into the Prince."

"That wasn't a fairy tale, it was a movie!" Melody realized.

"Yeah, well, it was probably a fairy tale once," Aries replied. Melody seemed satisfied with that, and resumed thinking of fairy tales to save Trevor.

"What could we use as a substitute for a Prince?" Malon wondered. "The Princess needed a kiss, and Trevor needs - "

"I still have my powers!" Link yelled triumphantly.

"Good for you," Zelda snapped.

"I just thought maybe I should give them back? They're really Trevor's, you know."

She sighed. "I suppose so. Go on, get the gem and I'll transfer them back to him."

Link smiled, feeling as though he had accomplished something, and instantly warped to the chamber and back. He clasped it in his hands and focused on it. Zelda almost burst out laughing, since she had never seen Link concentrate on anything before. Finally, he opened his eyes and said, "I'm done. You take it."

"But what are we going to do without the Thunder Sage?" Malon interrupted. "We need those powers!"

"If the Sage is dead, the powers are useless," Zelda said, placing the stone in Trevor's hand. She closed her eyes and whispered something, and then stepped back and watched.

A soft, golden light began to glow from his hand, bringing a warm feeling of life to the entire room. The golden glow coated his arm, and moved slowly up through his body, his legs, and finally to his head. The dried blood on the floor withered away, and Trevor sat up, looking terrified.

"How did you do that?" Leona demanded, running over to hug the frightened little boy. He looked confused for a moment, and when Leona backed away, he spoke.

"What happened to my back? Is it all better?"

Link's face was beaming, happy that he had saved the child. "I thought I killed you! But you're okay now! I actually _saved_ you!"

"What are you talking about?" he asked. Then, realization began to sink in. "You mean it wasn't a dream? I'm dead?"

"You're not dead anymore," Zelda said in disbelief. "I.. somehow, Link saved you."

"But.. my dream.." He began to fade into unconsciousness. "It was real.."

"No!" Malon cried, rushing forward to catch the child. He fainted into her arms, and soon his mother rushed over to take over.

Freya sat in the Chamber of Gemstones, waiting for someone to get back. All of the Sages had abandoned her to watch over the Circle herself, with the exception of Dampé. Only two more, she told herself, as Nabooru dropped hers off and went back to the castle. Then the mythical Rod of Fire would appear, and when given to the Hero of Time - 

"Oh, no!" she cried, flitting out of the chamber. Link couldn't take Trevor's place as a Sage; he was needed for the battle! She had to hurry and tell him before.. oh, yeah, that was right. He couldn't get into any trouble about it until they had all of the stones. Feeling stupid, she flew back to the chamber, just in time to see Lukas deposit his Gem. Only one left. Where was Impa?

The fairy felt a cold draft hit her, and decided that something awful must have happened to the Shekiah. She instantly took off for the Shadow Temple, fearing the worst for the Sage that she was supposed to be protecting. Just a few minutes later, she came back with Impa, completely humiliated. Impa was already on her way to the Chamber.

"We've got all of the Gems!" she cried. "I have to go get the onyx from Link.. or Trevor or whoever has it!" She took off into the castle, where everyone was nursing Trevor back to full health. "Zelda! It's very important!"

"What is it, Freya?" the Princess asked, concerned.

"We've got all of the stones! Get Trevor and bring his onyx immediately!"

Excited, Zelda ran back to the crowd and told them the good news. Everyone got up and ran to the Chamber of Gemstones, with the exception of Trevor, who was carried by his mother.

"We'll give you the honor of placing the last gem in the circle," Link told the child, smiling. Trevor smiled, and his mother carried him over so that he could drop the onyx into the circle. It instantly became a golden portal, and when the light subsided, there were three Triforce pieces there, each pure gold, and a colored tint. Red for power, blue for wisdom, green for courage.

"Look!" Navi exclaimed, flying over to the circle. "It's the Rod of Fire! To be used only by the Hero of Time, Link!"

Link, honored, stepped forward and picked up the Rod of Fire. "What does it do?" he asked his fairy.

"It shoots fire, duh," Trevor said. Everyone laughed.

"The boy is right," Navi said. "The fire is of a magical breed, incinerating evil the moment it makes contact."

"Which is why it was essential in this fight," Freya added.

Zelda took a deep breath. "Well, is everyone ready?" she said softly. No one spoke a word. "Good, then. Let's go."

-+-chapter eleven: complete-+-

One more chapter!! Just one more! I'm almost done. But I am awful at endings, so don't expect it to be superb. Anyway, I'm supposed to be talking about _this_ chapter.. I know it's short, but I hope it's okay. Please review!!!!


	12. Chapter 12

Nature Sage - Ch 12

Princess Zelda cast her power into a shining portal of light. No one made a move. They all knew that this would be the final battle, which would either bring them victory or defeat. Footsteps were rushing down the hall. Malon turned to see who it was.

"We want to help, too," one of the four people who had come said. "We've come together, against Paige's will, to help the Nature Sages in their plight."

Malon paused. "And you are..?"

"Oh!" One of them stepped forward. "My name is Ashley. I am the Virgo Sage." She looked down at Trevor. "I hear you know my daughter?" she laughed.

"Um, yeah," Trevor said. His mother smiled and hugged him. She had decided to allow him go into battle, since Link could not go for him. The Hero of Time was needed for this battle, but not right away.

"This is the Sagittarius Sage, Evan, and the Gemini Sages, Eric and Daniel. They're twins."

"I thought there was only one Gemini Sage?" Melody said, confused. "Thirteen Zodiac Sages?"

"We only count as one," Eric and Daniel said together. Melody nodded, and turned back to the portal.

"Are we ready?" Leona asked, suddenly looking determined. "Let's get this over and done with! Come on, before he comes in here!"

"See, I have earth powers, and Eric and Daniel have air powers," Ashley explained, following everyone else into the portal. "Evan has light powers. Those are our signs, get it?"

Finally, the portal closed, and before anyone knew it, the battle had begun. Ganondorf was nowhere in sight.

"How are we supposed to fight to the death if there's no enemy?" Ruto pouted. "I can't take this kind of treatment!"

"So you're trying to commit suicide here?" Lukas asked, giving her a quizzical look.

"No!" she protested.

"All right, people," Malon said. "Obviously, Ganondorf went back to the Evil Realm. Or maybe he was just a hallucination to begin with."

"Those cuts and bruises were definitely real," Link said resentfully, speaking of their previous encounter with Ganondorf.

"Either way," Malon said, "I'm not going back into that 'virtual battle' thing I did last time. That was way too scary. Zelda, you go."

"Me?" the Princess said incredulously. "But then what will we do with my kingdom?"

"After you die, you mean?" Link joked. Zelda scowled.

"You'll have to marry someone," Trevor said slyly. "How about.. Link?"

"Aah!" Link squealed quietly, glaring fiercely at Trevor. The people right near him snickered.

"I suppose I could do that," Zelda said, looking thoughtful. "But no one here performs weddings."

"I occasionally do," Rauru volunteered. "What do you say, Princess? Link?"

"Ummm.." Link stammered.

"I'll do it. It'd be safer, right? I trust Link with my kingdom."

"All right then. Do you, Princess Zelda, take Link to be - "

"I hate to break up this heartwarming occurrence," someone called, "but it's making me sick. Just attack me already! I'm standing right here!"

Mostly everyone whirled around to see Ganondorf, grinning and holding his sword. "I guess his sneaking-up approach never gets old," Link commented, trying to brighten his mood. "I'll go stand over there until you guys are ready for me."

Zelda smiled. "I would have done it, too," she said. Link's face showed a slight sign of a smile, but then he turned and went behind the Sages.

"Zodiac Sages, attack!" Melody yelled. All of them ran forward and raised their arms.

"Don't do it, you're gonna get killed," Malon whispered, watching in fear.

A circle of a planet formed above all of them, blue and green with white, fluffy clouds. It began to crumble, golden sunlight pouring from the holes. Various animal and people symbols projected from it, and they simultaneously shot bolts of magic toward Ganondorf. He cried out in pain, but when the light faded, he looked unfazed. "That was weak. You can't possibly hurt me unless all of you are here, Sages of the Zodiac! Your chances have just run out!" With that, he shot a red beam from his sword, and they all disappeared.

The Nature Sages all stared at where they had once been, terrified. "W-w-watch out for that," Zelda said. "We have everyone here, don't we?"

"Not quite everyone," a voice boomed from behind. No one turned around except Impa.

"Darunia!" she cried happily. "Now our team is complete! Nature Sages, attack together!"

They all raised their arms in much the same way that the Zodiac Sages had, and multicolored balls of light formed above them. Sparks flew, and jolts of energy shot out at Ganondorf. "NOW, Link!" Zelda screamed. Link ran forward and swiped at him with the Rod of Fire, but nothing happened.

"Hah!" Ganondorf laughed. "I am unstoppable! Not even the Hero of Time's weapon works on me!"

"Maybe I should have practiced with this," Link thought aloud, looking it over for a fire button.

"Maybe you practiced too late!" Ganondorf cried, shooting his red beam at Link. He screamed, and was gone with the Zodiac Sages.

The thought of Link's being gone took a moment to sink in to everyone, with Ganondorf laughing hysterically.

"WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?!?" Trevor panicked. "Link had to be the one to use that! We're dead!"

Zelda ran over and picked up the fallen weapon. "Let's all try to use it then," she suggested, trying not to panic herself. She swiped it at their enemy, and nothing happened. She passed it to Malon. Again, nothing happened. She passed it to Ruto.

"Look!" the Zora Princess cried. "A spark!"

"That was your imagination," Impa said, taking the weapon. She tried using it, and again, nothing.

"You're doing it wrong," Trevor said, when it was passed to him. "You have to use your imagination!"

"How do you know?" Lukas asked skeptically.

"I'm a kid. Imagining is what I do best." He tried the Rod, but nothing happened. "I give up. You try it," he said, passing it to Leona.

"This is useless," she complained. "It only works with Link! I say we just fight."

"No!" Zelda said. "You try it, then pass it to Darunia. They're Sworn Brothers, so it might work for him."

She sighed. "I've got a better idea," she said, grinning.

"Oh, no. We're going to hate this," Nabooru warned.

Leona smiled, then threw the thing with all her might toward their foe, who was still relishing in his victory over Link. It hit the ground inched in front of him, and ignited into magical, orange flames. Ganondorf screamed, and started shrinking. He shrunk and shrunk until he was gone. The last thing they heard from him was, "As long as the Triforce of Power is in my hand! You'll never defeat me!"

Aries, Melody, Link, and the others all reformed in midair in front of the Sages. They crashed to the ground, and cries of pain could be heard for several minutes. Finally, they got up and went back to the castle.

*~*~*~*~*

"I can't believe we won," Zelda said, sitting with Link, Malon, Ruto, Aries, Nabooru, and Leona in her throne room. "I thought we were dead the second that the Zodiac Sages disappeared.

"So did I," Aries admitted. "But then, when Link got there, I was sure we were dead."

"Why did the Rod work for you, but not for Link?" Ruto asked Leona, taking another sip of Lon Lon Milk.

Leona shrugged. "The whole thing just kind of worked, you know? I threw it instead of using it. That was probably it. Maybe it only works within a few feet on the evil."

"Whatever happened, we left the Rod there," Nabooru said, disappointed. "I would have liked toying with it."

"It wouldn't work if you used it," Link pointed out. "'Cause me and Leona are special. We deserve the best."

Malon smiled, sitting on the red, silky throne. "That was fun, though, wasn't it? I mean, sure, we all almost died, but that just made it cooler to live through."

"I wouldn't put it that way," Aries said. Nabooru laughed.

"I would," she said. "It's what I live for, eluding death at the last possible second."

"Oh, really?" Link said, half-drawing his sword. "Well then.."

"I was joking," she said hurriedly, in mock fear.

Navi flew into the room. "Great! You won!" she praised. "But now, my friends, it is time to give up your power and return to your normal lives."

"Give up my power?" Ruto said, looking sad. "But how will I get home? I can't _walk_!"

"It's not all that hard," Zelda said.

"Yes it is! You weren't as spoiled as I was growing up!" Everyone laughed.

"Aries, Paige is looking for you. Boy, are you in trouble!" Trevor said, coming into the room.

Aries groaned. "Great. Mel probably told her what happened. I love my cousin, I really do; but she's such a ditz! Farewell, everyone," he said, giving Zelda a hug. "Good luck in your marriage," he teased, then left.

Ruto turned to Malon. "Do you remember when that kid was a quiet, shy, deep thinker?" she asked. Malon smiled.

"That was before we turned him into one of us," she laughed.

"Everyone, transfer your powers into your stones," Navi instructed, the stones magically appearing in their hands. "If and when another crisis arises, you or your descendants will be given the powers held within these stones."

"What about everyone else?" Link asked as the Sages were doing that.

"They've finished already. I've got their stones back in the Circle. And Zelda, here is your Triforce piece."

Zelda gaped at the radiant, blue crystal that appeared. "I keep this?"

"Yes. Keep it out of harm's way. The other two are in what will now be known as the Triforce tower. DO NOT LET GANON GET THEM! Now, happy lives everyone!" And, with a wave of her arms, Navi sent everyone back to where they were in the beginning.

"Malon!" Talon called. "There's someone here to see you!"

Malon rubbed her eyes. What a dream! The memories of it were already beginning to fade, but being a Sage was fun while it lasted. Someday, Malon knew, that dream would come true for her and everyone else in it.

"Hey, Malon," Link said. "You have a dream you want to tell me about?"

"Yes," she said, amazed. "How did you know?"

"Navi told me you would."

"Strange.. Navi was in my dream, too.." She prepared her horse, and she and Link set off to Lake Hylia for their usual picnic, and Malon told him all about the dream that only he knew as a reality.

-+-chapter twelve: complete-+-

Yuck. Bad ending. But it's the best I can do! Remember, endings are not my strong point! This whole thing went way too fast..

All's well, though. The story is finished. Tomorrow I'm posting the whole thing in one condensed file. Anyway, I hope you liked it, so please review!!

» Nature Sage


End file.
